When You Just Wanna Holler and Scream

You may be looking at the title and trying to figure out where in the world this entry is going. Well, in case the image above didn’t give it away, I will tell you. The title references two socially conscious songs that are especially relevant to what is going on in the country as of late. What two songs could I possibly be referring to? Hmm…

Both address injustices. One was released in the early ’70s, while the other was released in the mid ’90s. Both are by two…well, actually three, of my favorite artists, because one is a duet by two siblings from the GOAT musical family (that should give away one of them). One was also featured in this entry.

Give up?!

Drumroll…

Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” and Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream”. These are two songs, released in 1971 and 1995 respectively – 24 years apart – that share a common theme. I honestly have never really thought of the fact that the two songs are essentially saying the same thing until just a few days ago. Marvin uses the word “holler”; Michael and Janet say “scream”. Both words have the same general meaning, as do the songs.

Marvin sings about police brutality and the outrage that ensues after, among other things, in “Inner City Blues(Make Me Wanna Holler)”: Trigger happy policing, panic is spreading; God knows where we’re heading.

Michael and Janet sing about injustice and “the system” being corrupt, among other things, on “Scream”: Tired of injustice, The whole system sucks, Stop f—ing with me, Can’t believe what I saw as I turned on the TV this evening…I was disgusted by all the injustice. This song is a prime example of Michael making two types of socially conscious music. You can hear a stark difference in delivery and theme between “Scream” and a song like “Heal The World”, for instance.

The latter clearly illustrates an extension of the former. To be clear, Marvin’s music and that of the Jacksons were often similar in terms of addressing societal issues. Marvin’s layered vocal style is another way in which he influenced the Jacksons, specifically Michael and Janet. You can hear that on “Scream”, but that’s another entry.

The point I’m making here is this: these two songs, despite being released decades apart and being decades old now, are extremely relevant in 2020. Witnessing yet another loss of a black life in such a callous and unnecessary manner made me wanna holler. The ignorance and lack of concern that has run rampant since George Floyd’s death among some people, from 45 on down to random idiots on social media, makes you wanna scream. Holler and scream. Scream and holler. That’s all you really feel like doing when your words fail you because you are exhausted by blatant injustices that have plagued your people for centuries, or you feel like you’ve reached a breaking point. As Michael and Janet sing in “Scream”: Oh Father please have mercy ’cause I just can’t take it.

It does seem that our “hollers” and “screams”, coupled with our actions, have had some legitimate impact. The cop whose knee was buried into George Floyd’s neck, causing his death, was originally charged with Third Degree Murder and Manslaughter, which I thought was a joke. The other three officers who stood idly by while this was taking place were not originally charged at all, though all four were fired. However, as of yesterday, the main officer’s charge has been upgraded to Second Degree murder, and the other three officers have been charged with aiding and abetting Second Degree murder.

This is not a cause for celebration, though, but rather a call to continue to holler and scream so that each of the four officers are adequately brought to justice, and so that we can get the ball rolling on overhauling the “system” that Michael and Janet sang about, so that we are no longer systemically oppressed by it. On this note, I will end this entry with this quote by Angela Davis, which my sister wrote on a sign that she carried in a recent protest in our home state of North Carolina: “The challenge of the 21st century is not to demand equal opportunity in the machinery of oppression, but rather to identify and dismantle those structures in which racism continues to be embedded.” Indeed, Angela. Indeed.